Many mobile communication antennas allow a change of the tilt angle of the phased arrays defined by the radiators. This is normally done by adjusting a phase difference between the individual radiators of the phased array. To this end, the radiators of the phased array are normally connected to the respective ports via a phase shifter. Antennas are already known, in the case of which this adjustment can take place via an external control unit. To this end, the antenna may comprise a communication interface, which is normally an AISG interface. Such an interface allows, on the one hand, a control of the tilt angle via an external control unit. On the other hand, the communication interface also allows reading of the data of the antenna, such as the serial number, etc.
Communication with the external control unit may, according to a first variant, take place via a separate cable connecting the antenna control unit to the external control unit. In this case, servicing staff may e.g. connect the external control unit to the antenna control unit on site for adjusting the tilt angle.
In addition, the communication interface may allow communication with the external control unit via the high-frequency lines connected to the ports of the radiators. To this end, the communication signals of the communication interface have superimposed thereon the mobile communication signals transmitted on the high-frequency lines. The separation of the received communication signals and the superposition of the transmitted communication signals may take place via an interface referred to as bias tee and arranged in the high-frequency lines. This kind of communication allows the antenna control unit to be accessed via an external control unit arranged in the area of the base station or integrated in the base station. This external control unit can, in turn, be accessed by the operator of the mobile communication base station.
In this context it is also known that a plurality of base stations share an antenna, i.e. that different ports of the antenna are connected to different base stations. The base stations are then capable of separately adjusting the tilt angle of each of the radiators associated therewith.
The mobile communication antennas here normally comprise a plurality of different radiators for transmitting and/or receiving in a plurality of frequency bands, said radiators being connected to the mobile communication base station via separate ports of the antenna.
Depending on the customer's demands, such antennas are therefore produced with different equipment comprising radiators for e.g. three, four or five different frequency bands. This results in a high number of production variants. If an operator wants to enlarge the base station by additional frequency bands later on, or if there is a further operator who wants to utilize the antenna as well, the installed antenna will have to be replaced by an antenna suitably equipped with additional radiators.
Such mobile communication antennas produced by the applicant are described e.g. in the publication KATHREIN, Remote Electrical Tilt System, Overview of Related Products, Installation and Control Possibilities, Edition January 2014. DE 10 2011 009 600 B3 additionally shows a mechanical switching device through which a plurality of phase shifters of such a mobile communication antenna can be driven by only one drive.
It is the object of the present disclosure to provide an antenna through which the manufacturing costs and the operating costs can be reduced and/or which can be used in a more flexible manner.
According to the present disclosure, this object is achieved by an antenna comprising an antenna control unit, a plurality of radiators and a plurality of functional elements, the antenna control unit having a configuration function which can be accessed via an external control unit, wherein at least one functional element is deactivable and/or activable via the configuration function. Further developments of the present disclosure are the subject matter of the dependent claims.
The present disclosure shows an antenna comprising an antenna control unit, a plurality of radiators and a plurality of functional elements. The antenna control unit has a configuration function, which can be accessed via an external control unit. According to the present disclosure, at least one functional element is deactivable and/or activable via the configuration function. The antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a mobile communication antenna, in particular for a mobile communication base station.
Through the configuration function according to the present disclosure, the antennas need no longer be equipped with different numbers of functional elements, depending on the specific demands of the operator. On the contrary, all the antennas can be produced such that they are fully equipped with functional elements within the framework of the production. If an operator should only need part of the functional elements, only a respective subgroup of functional elements will initially be activated ex factory. If, in the course of the service life of the antenna, the operator should need further functional elements, the latter can additionally be activated via the configuration function. Vice versa, functional elements which are no longer required can be deactivated, if desired. In view of the fact that the configuration function can be accessed via an external control unit, it will easily be possible to reconfigure the antenna and to activate and/or deactivate the individual functional elements. It follows that, due to the reduced number of variants, the present disclosure allows a cost-effective production of the antennas as well as an extremely flexible adaptation of the antennas to the needs of the operator. In particular, the antenna can be extended by activating functional elements and need no longer be replaced by another antenna, as has been the case in the prior art.
The functional elements may especially be hardware elements with which the antenna is equipped. Thus, a plurality of antennas can be equipped with the same hardware in an advantageous manner, and can then be adapted to the operator's needs via the configuration function of the antenna control unit.
According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, the functional elements comprise ports through which the radiators of the antenna have signals supplied thereto. At least one port is deactivable and/or activable via the configuration function. A plurality of ports may optionally be selectively deactivable and/or activable via the configuration function.
The ports may be terminals of the antenna, which are adapted to have connected thereto cables for supplying signals to the radiators of the antenna. Optionally, these terminals are high-frequency terminals, which are adapted to have connected thereto high-frequency cables connecting the antenna to the base station.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of radiators of the antenna may be interconnected to form at least one phased array. In particular, the radiators may be interconnected via a phase shifter so as to form a phased array, so that the tilt angle of the phased array is adjustable by adjusting the phase shifter. The radiators of a phased array may comprise at least one common port, which is deactivable and/or activable through the configuration function.
In addition, the radiators may be dual-polarized radiators. Such a radiator may have associated therewith two ports in this case. Optionally, a plurality of dual-polarized radiators are here interconnected to form a dual-polarized phased array, in the way described hereinbefore. Such a phased array has thus two ports, one for each of the two polarizations. These two ports of a phased array may be deactivable and/or activable through the configuration function.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective two ports of a dual-polarized radiator and/or of a dual-polarized phased array are deactivable and/or activable in common. Hence, the two ports of such a dual-polarized radiator and/or of such a dual-polarized phased array are no longer activable and/or deactivable separately, but only in common. However, normally the two ports of such an antenna are not needed separately. The investment in circuit technology required for deactivating and/or activating a dual-polarized radiator and/or a dual-polarized phased array is reduced in this way.
According to another advantageous embodiment, the antenna according to the present disclosure comprises ports and radiators and/or phased arrays connected to these ports and used for transmitting and/or receiving in different frequency bands. In particular, the antenna according to the present disclosure may comprise radiators and phased arrays, respectively, with different center frequencies.
In particular, the antenna may comprise ports and/or radiators for more than three, optionally more than four frequency bands. The antenna is here e.g. a pentaband antenna, i.e. an antenna with ports for five different frequency bands. According to a possible embodiment, the antenna may comprise at least one phased array for each frequency band.
The number of frequency bands with which the antenna can be operated may be changed by deactivating and/or activating ports of the antenna. In particular, the antenna may comprise ports and/or radiators for more than three, optionally more than four frequency bands, the ports being deactivable and/or activable for at least one and optionally for more than one frequency band.
It follows that, if an operator of a base station initially only needs ports for a smaller number of frequency bands, the antenna will be delivered with a configuration in which the other ports have been deactivated. If the operator, or some other operator, should need additional frequency bands while operating the antenna, the initially deactivated ports can be activated via the configuration function.
Furthermore, the antenna may comprise a plurality of phased arrays for respective individual frequency bands or for all frequency bands. In particular, the antenna may comprise a plurality of phased arrays for at least one frequency band, the ports of at least one and, optionally, of a plurality of these phased arrays being deactivable and/or activable.
This kind of configuration comprising a plurality of phased arrays for the same frequency band thus allows an increase of the capacity of the antenna in a frequency band by activating a further phased array, e.g. for allowing a plurality of base stations to be connected to the same antenna.
The antenna may comprise one or a plurality of radiators and/or phased arrays whose ports are not deactivable and/or activable. Hence, these radiators and/or phased arrays constitute the basic equipment of the antenna. In addition, the antenna comprises, however, one or a plurality of radiators and/or phased arrays whose ports are deactivable and/or activable and can therefore be deactivated and/or activated for changing the functional range of the antenna.
A plurality of radiators and/or phased arrays of the antenna may be arranged in a single antenna housing. Optionally, the ports comprise connection elements used for connecting high-frequency cables and consisting e.g. of bushings arranged on the housing. Optionally, the housing also has provided therein phase shifters for adjusting the tilt angle of the phased arrays.
The radiators of a phased array may be arranged vertically one above the other in a column. In addition, a plurality of such columns of radiators may be arranged side-by-side. Furthermore, the radiators of different frequency bands may be nested. The radiators may be arranged on a common support structure. The support structure may especially be a reflector that is common to the radiators.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one switch, which is mechanically shiftable from a first switching position to a second switching position, is provided for deactivating and/or activating the ports. Such a mechanical switch allows simple switching of high-frequency signals. According to the present disclosure, the shifting of the switch is controllable via the antenna control unit, and said shifting of the switch can be accessed in particular by the configuration function.
Optionally, the switch deactivates the port at the first switching position, whereas the port connects to at least one radiator at the second switching position.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, two shiftable switches are mechanically coupled to one another and/or integrated in one another and can only be shifted in common. Optionally, such two switches serve to activate and/or deactivate the two ports of a dual-polarized radiator and/or of a dual-polarized phased array. In particular, the two switches may deactivate the two ports at the first switching position and connect the ports to the dual-polarized radiator and/or the dual-polarized phased array at the second switching position.
In the following, possible embodiments of a switch of the type adapted to be used according to the present disclosure for deactivating and/or activating a port will be described in more detail. If a plurality of switches is used, optionally several switches and, further optionally, all the switches will be configured as described hereinafter.
The switch may comprise a rotatably supported pickup which, at the first switching position, separates a connection to a first signal line and, at the second switching position, establishes a connection to a first signal line. The first signal line may here be connected to a first line section of the switch, which, at the second switching position, capacitively couples via a dielectric layer to a line section of the pickup. Optionally, the first signal line connects here the switch to a radiator.
Furthermore, the pickup may be electrically, in particular capacitively, coupled to a second signal line via a coupling point arranged in the area of its axis of rotation. Optionally, this second signal line is here connected to the port.
In addition, the pickup may, at the first switching position, establish a connection to a termination, in particular in that the pickup capacitively couples, at the first switching position, to a second line section of the switch, which is connected to a termination.
For realizing such a termination, there are a plurality of possibilities: for example, a 50Ω termination may be used. Through suitable adaptation, no reflection will occur. Optionally, short-circuiting may be used as a termination. Due to the short-circuited line, a total reflection will occur. As a further alternative, an open line may be used as a termination. The open end may be shielded so as to prevent interaction with the antenna. Also this leads to a total reflection at the open end.
Through the termination according to the present disclosure, a deactivated port can be identified by the base station. In particular, this will lead to triggering of a VSWR alarm, when the base station is connected to a deactivated port and when the latter has power supplied thereto.
According to the present disclosure, the termination may be integrated in the switch or configured as a separate component, which is connected to the switch, in particular in case that the termination is provided by the end of a cable.
The switch may comprise a closed housing. Said housing may consist e.g. of an electrically conductive material or it may be coated with such a material.
The switch according to the present disclosure may be operated via an electrically controllable actuator. In particular, the actuator may therefore be an electromechanical actuator. The actuator used may e.g. be an electromechanical linear actuator and/or an electric motor, in particular an electric motor having a transmission.
The switch may be operated via an actuator, which is also used for adjusting at least one phase shifter of the antenna. This is advantageous insofar as no additional actuator will be required for shifting the switch, but an actuator can be used, which is required for adjusting a phase shifter anyhow.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna may comprise a plurality of phase shifters, which are adapted to be adjusted via a single actuator. Optionally, the actuator is selectively connectable via a changeover arrangement to one of the phase shifters so as to adjust the latter.
The changeover arrangement may comprise a plurality of separate output elements for adjusting the phase shifters, wherein each of the output elements is connected to at least one of the phase shifters via a respective driving mechanism.
The actuator and/or the changeover arrangement may, according to the present disclosure, also used for operating one or a plurality of switches for deactivating and/or activating ports.
The changeover arrangement and/or the driving mechanism, which connects the changeover arrangement to the face shifters, may here be configured in the way shown in DE 10 2011 009 600 B3, which is owned by the same applicant. The content of this application is referred to in its entirety.
According to first variant of the present disclosure, the switch and the at least one phase shifter can jointly be shifted by means of a common driving mechanism, which is operated by the actuator. Optionally, the switch and the at least one phase shifter may be associated with the same group of radiators. In particular, the switch may be used for activating and/or deactivating a phased array defined by a group of radiators, whereas the phase shifter, which is operated by the switch via the common driving mechanism, is used for adjusting the tilt angle of the phased array. According to a possible embodiment, the driving mechanism is driven by an output element of the above-described changeover arrangement.
The common driving mechanism may shift the switch between the first and the second switching position in a first adjusting range and may adjust the phase shifter in a second adjusting range. A first adjusting range of the driving mechanism thus serves to operate the switch, and a second one serves to adjust the tilt angle.
The connection between the driving mechanism and the switch may comprise a freewheeling range in the second adjusting range, so as to adjust the phase shifter by further operating the driving mechanism, without operating the switch. The freewheeling range thus ensures that the switch will remain at the second switching position, at which the port is activated, while, through shifting of the driving mechanism in the second adjusting range, the tilt angle is changed by adjusting the phase shifter.
Furthermore, the connection between the driving mechanism and the phase shifter may comprise a freewheeling range in the first adjusting range, so as to shift the switch by operating the driving mechanism. This freewheeling range ensures that a further adjustment of the phase shifter is prevented, while the port is being deactivated by operating the switch.
Alternatively, the phase shifter may, however, also be adjusted together with the switch in the first adjusting range. In this case, the phase shifter has an adjusting range, which—though it cannot be used for changing the tilt angle of the activated radiators, but is only passed over when the switch is being shifted from the second switching position to the first switching position—allows to dispense with the use of a freewheel.
The common driving mechanism may e.g. be a push rod, which is connected to the switch as well as the phase shifter via eccentrics and/or catches. Alternatively, the driving mechanism may be a gear unit connecting an output shaft to the switch as well as to the phase shifter.
If, as described hereinbefore, a changeover arrangement is used for allowing a plurality of phase shifters to be adjusted via the same actuator, the switch and the phase shifter are optionally connected to the same output element of the changeover arrangement according to the above described embodiment. Hence, the use of the switch does not necessitate any additional output elements on the changeover arrangement.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the switch and the phase shifter or face shifters can each be shifted by a separate driving mechanism. Optionally, these driving mechanisms are selectively connectable to the actuator via a changeover arrangement. In this case, a switch and a phase shifter, which are associated with the same group of radiators, can thus be shifted via separate driving mechanisms.
It follows that shifting of the switch and of the phase shifter necessitates that the changeover arrangement is switched over between the respective output elements. In particular, the driving mechanism for the switch and the driving mechanism for the phase shifter are here coupled to separate output elements of the changeover arrangement. This simplifies the driving mechanism for the switch and the phase shifter, respectively, since freewheels are no longer required. The use of the switch, however, requires an additional output element on the changeover arrangement.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the functional elements may comprise communication interfaces for communication between the antenna control unit and an external control unit, at least one and optionally a plurality of the communication interfaces being selectively deactivable and/or activable through the configuration function. Also this allows the antenna hardware to be delivered fully equipped with communication interfaces ex factory. The communication interfaces that are not required by the operator are, however, initially deactivated and will only be activated when they are actually needed.
An activated communication interface may allow controlling of the tilt angle of at least one phased array of the antenna and/or reading of antenna data.
The communication interfaces may e.g. be AISG interfaces. AISG is a standardized protocol for communication with an antenna control unit.
According to a possible embodiment, the communication interfaces are associated with the ports of the antenna and allow communication via the signal lines used for transmitting the signals to the radiators. Hence, the high-frequency lines used for transmitting the signals, in particular the mobile communication signals, to the radiators may simultaneously also be used for transmitting the data signals for communication with the antenna control unit. In particular, the communication interfaces may each comprise a bias tee, which separates the mobile communication signals and the communication data from one another.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interfaces may be integrated in the ports of the antenna, so that, by connecting a high-frequency line to a port of the antenna, communication with the communication interface integrated in the port can take place as soon as said communication interface has been activated. Other than in the case of conventional bias tees, it is no longer necessary to specially to incorporate these bias tees into the high-frequency line, but they are already integrated in the ports of the antenna.
According to a possible embodiment, one or a plurality of communication interfaces may, however, also have a separate connection by means of which it is/they are connectable to an external control unit by cable. In particular, the connection may here exclusively be used for communication with the antenna control unit.
Furthermore, the antenna control unit may comprise a control matrix that determines which components of the antenna can be accessed via which communication interface. The control matrix may be configurable through the configuration function. According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna comprises a plurality of phased arrays, which, depending on the configuration of the control matrix, can be accessed separately via different communication interfaces and/or in common via one communication interface. According to a possible configuration of the control matrix, a plurality of phased arrays can thus be accessed via only one communication interface and, in particular, the tilt angle of these phased arrays can be adjusted and/or the data thereof can be read. According to an alternative configuration of the control matrix, however, respective separate communication interfaces may be configured such that only one or a plurality of phased arrays, which are associated therewith, can be accessed via said communications interfaces, whereas other phased arrays, which are associated with some other communication interface, cannot be accessed.
The functional elements of the antenna may comprise ports, through which the radiators of the antenna have signals supplied thereto, and communication interfaces, at least one port and at least one communication interface being deactivable and/or activable by the configuration function. The communication interface may be associated with the port.
The port may be activated independently of the activation of the communication interface. Thus, it is especially possible to activate a port, whereas the communication interface associated therewith remains deactivated. Optionally, the above-mentioned control matrix can be configured in this case such that an antenna, which has supplied thereto signals via an activated port, whereas the communication interface associated with the port is deactivated, can be accessed via some other communication interface. Furthermore, deactivation of a communication interface can take place independently of the deactivation of the port associated therewith.
Optionally, a communication interface can only be activated when the port associated therewith has been activated as well. According to an alternative embodiment, deactivation and activation of the communication interfaces can take place independently of the deactivation and the activation of the ports.
The control matrix may be configured such that radiators or phased arrays which are associated with a deactivated port cannot be accessed via any of the communication interfaces.
The antenna according to the present disclosure may comprise a plurality of ports and a plurality of communication interfaces that are deactivable and/or activable by the configuration function. The communication interfaces may be associated with the respective ports. The ports may be activated independently of the activation of the communication interfaces.
According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the functional elements comprise at least one sensor which is deactivable and/or activable by the configuration function. Hence, the antenna can be equipped with such a sensor, irrespectively of whether the operator actually needs a sensor. If the sensor is actually required, it can be activated.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, different data of the sensor can selectively be deactivable and/or activable, and/or the data of different sensors can selectively be deactivable and/or activable. Depending on the concrete wishes of the operator, different data can thus be made available through activation. Optionally, the data can be read by means of the external control unit. To this end, the external control unit is able to communicate with the antenna control unit.
The sensor or sensors may especially be a tilt sensor and/or a position sensor and/or a temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor. The data of a tilt sensor and/or position sensor may especially be used when an antenna is being installed and/or when the correct installation of an antenna is checked. The data of a temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor may e.g. be used for weather forecasting.
The configuration function of the antenna control unit according to the present disclosure may e.g. be implemented via a configuration file, which is stored in the antenna control unit and which can be changed through the external control unit. The change of configuration and consequently the activation and/or deactivation of functional elements is thus effected via a software update, within the framework of which the configuration file is changed.
Optionally or additionally, the configuration function may comprise an authentication function, which prevents unauthorized deactivation and/or activation of the functional elements. In this way, it is guaranteed that only authorized operators will be able to access the configuration of the antenna. The authentication function may here work with software signatures and/or software keys.
Furthermore, the antenna control unit may, alternatively or additionally, comprise a communication interface via which the external control unit can access the configuration function.
According to a possible embodiment, at least one communication interface may be provided, via which the external control unit is able to access the configuration function and which cannot be deactivated and/or is not associated with any port. Optionally or additionally, at least one communication interface may be provided, via which the external control unit is able to access the configuration function, said communication interface having a separate connection. Optionally or additionally, there is furthermore an external control unit that is able to access the configuration function via all the activated communication interfaces.
An antenna according to the present disclosure may be connected to one or a plurality of base stations, so as to transmit and receive mobile communication signals. If the antenna is connected to a plurality of base stations, the latter may be operated by the same service provider, but also by different service providers.
The antenna according to the present disclosure may be a passive antenna, i.e. the antenna does not comprise any amplifier arranged between the ports and the radiators. According to a possible alternative embodiment, the antenna according to the present disclosure may, however, also be an active antenna.
The present disclosure comprises a base station array comprising at least one base station and at least one antenna of the type described hereinbefore. The at least one base station is connected to at least one port of the antenna according to the present disclosure, optionally via a high-frequency cable.
According to a possible embodiment, at least a first and a second base station are provided, each of which is separately connected to respective ports of the antenna. Optionally, different phased arrays arranged in the antenna are separately supplied with mobile communication signals via the first and the second base station.
According to a further possible embodiment, the first and the second base station communicate with the antenna control unit via separate communication interfaces of the antenna. Optionally, the first and second base station can only access the radiators and/or phased arrays of the antenna, which are associated with said base station and have mobile communication signals supplied thereto by said base station. Optionally, the communication interfaces are associated with the ports. In particular, this structural design allows at least a first and a second service provider to use the antenna in common.
The present disclosure additionally comprises a method of operating an antenna or a base station array of the type described hereinbefore. In particular, the method serves to transmit and/or receive mobile communication signals. The method comprises the following steps:                operating the antenna making use of a first subgroup of functional elements, in particular a first subgroup of ports and/or communication interfaces,        accessing the configuration function of the antenna and activating a second subgroup of functional elements of the antenna, in particular via an external control unit,        operating the antenna making use of the first and of the second subgroup of functional elements.        
It follows that, making use of the method according to the present disclosure, the configuration can be changed, during operation of the antenna, such that additional functional elements can be utilized.
In particular, additional ports and/or additional communication interfaces can be activated. Optionally, the additional ports are used for transmitting and/or receiving in an additional mobile communication frequency band. Optionally or additionally, a further base station can be connected to the second subgroup of functional elements, in particular to the additional ports. Further alternatively or additionally, additional communication interfaces can be activated.
According to a possible embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interfaces may each have a ping function, which allows to measure the signal transit time between the external control unit and the communication interface.
The external control unit may e.g. be a portable device, which is connected, on site, to the respective terminal of the antenna via a cable or, in a wireless fashion, via a respective communication interface. In particular, the external control unit may here be an antenna line device. The external control unit may, alternatively or additionally, communicate with the antenna control unit via the mobile communication base station.
According to a possible embodiment, communication between the external control unit and the antenna control unit may take place via a cable, which is exclusively used for communication between the antenna control unit and the external control unit.
Alternatively or additionally, communication between the external control unit and the antenna control unit may take place via communication signals, which, together with the mobile communication signals, are exchanged on the high-frequency cables provided between the base station and the antenna.
The present disclosure will now be explained in more detail making reference to embodiments as well as drawings. The figures are drawn to scale, although other relative dimensions may be used, if desired.